Sunday, May 29, 2011

Neglected Sorrel

Late last summer I planted some sorrel seeds (rumex acetosa). The lemony (some say green apple) flavor of the leaves would make a nice addition to our salads. I put the seeds in a planter box because somebody told me sorrel has a habit of taking over. Then I proceeded to forget all about this little planter and its contents. I hadn’t really paid attention to the fact that sorrel is a perennial.

Earlier this spring when I was cleaning up and feeding all the perennials on the patio, I noticed signs of life in the little planter box. And still I neglected it. Yesterday I finally decided it was time to tend to the sorrel.

Uhm, there seems to be a LOT more than just sorrel growing in there.

Ouch! Over on the right I found a sprig of blackberry. Guess I should say thank you to whatever birdie decided to fertilize my box. Oh, and the stuff that looks like sprouts, that’s moss. We grow awesome moss here in the Pacific Northwest. But wait, it gets better. That brownish grayish rock you see nestled in the moss, that’s NOT a rock.

Just chillin’ under the shade of a sorrel leaf.

All that relaxing is hard work. Time for a snack!

Despite my neglect, the various invaders and the overcrowded conditions, the sorrel seems to be hanging in there. In the end, I left the box just as I had found it. I couldn’t bring myself to disturb this happy little eco-system. Besides, Wing Nut was busy making dinner and there was no way I was going to touch that snail!

Indeed sorrel's can be addition to your salads however its lemon flavor comes from oxalic acid. Unfortunately, the oxalic acid content makes sorrel a poor choice if you have a tendency to develop kidney stones.